Map holder



Aug. 6, 1940. M. D MCCAULEY MAP HOLDER Filed Feb. 18, 1939 Patented Aug. 6, 1940 UNiTED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,209,990 MAP HOLDER Myron D. McOauley, Huntington Woods, Application February 18, 1939, Serial No. 257,049

8 Claims. (c1. 40-86) This invention relates generally to casings and more particularly to map or chart holders.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a novel portable map holder or casing in whichlong maps may be compactly carried and of a character such that reference to the map will be easy and convenient.

More specifically it is an object of the invention to provide a map holder which is compact 10 and convenient for operators of conveyances.

A further object of the invention'is to provide a map holder or casing of the above mentioned character which is simple in construction and inexpensive to manufacture.

Other objects of the invention will appear from thefollowing description taken in connection with the single sheet of drawings in which Figure 1 is a front view of the map holder with parts broken away and in section;

Fig. 2 is a view of the holder in section, taken along the line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a view in cross section of the holder taken along the line and in the direction of the arrows 33 of Fig. 2, and

Fig- 4 is a'view in section of a part of the device.

Referring to the drawing by characters of reference, the device shown includes a hollow casing In which is preferably fiat and of general rectangular shape having spaced sheet metal end walls II and I2, and a sheet metal rear wall or back panel I3. The end walls l2 are preferably hollow, each having a continuous inturned flange M in which opposite and inwardly offset rear panel portions l5 are received or telescoped to provide a continuous or unbroken outer surface wherethe end and rear panels join or overlap. The end and rear walls or' panels may be welded or otherwise suitably secured together.

- 40 Preferably, the top and bottom of the casing end walls l2 are rounded and to conform in shape thereto, the rear panel I3 is also rounded along the top and bottom thereof but terminates at the top and bottom edges substantially on the vertical center line of the casing.

The front of the casing has a substantially rectangular opening to give access to the interior thereof, which opening in height is defined by the top and bottom edges of the rear panel I3 and in width is defined by edges of the end wall flange portions l5. Thus, a large front opening is provided in the casing and this opening is normally closed by a removable closure member or cover panel l6 which is formed of a transparent material, preferably a so-called nonbreakable material of any suitable type. For

' ease in attaching and/or detaching the cover panel ,IG it is preferably of the so-called snap-on type and to this' end, the cover is provided along its upper and lower edges with spaced notches 6 I! which receive spaced, complementary, inturned flanges l8 provided and spaced along the upper and lower edges of the rear panel l3. The transparent front panel I6 is formed. with upper and lower rounded portions to conform 1 to the roundedupper and lower ends of the casing side walls and is flexible and made such that it must be flexed to position upper and lower edge portions thereof between the upper and .flanges flt or telescope within the hollow end walls of the casing in abutting relation with the rear wall oifset portions I5 and at the sides of the opening providing recessed, side seating surfaces for the cover IS. The spacer plates 30 20, 2| may be welded or be otherwise rigidly secured to the casing rear and end walls.

Mounted within the casing I0, and extending longitudinally thereof is a pair of spaced, parallel rollers 25, 26 on which a continuous map 36 or chart 2! may be wound, a portion of the map behind the'casing opening, or the map portion stretched between the rollers being visible externally of the casing through the transparent cover |6. The end wall II is provided with a 40 pair of inwardly directed hollow bosses 28 in which corresponding end portions 29 of the rollers 25, 26 are rotatably supported, the end roller portions 29 being reduced in diameter providing on the rollers outwardly facing shoulders 30. 45 On each of the reduced roller portions 29 is an abutment member or washer 3| and in the spacer plate 29 a pair of vertically spaced apertures 32 are provided through which the rollerreduced portions 29 extend, these apertures 32 being so slightly larger in diameter than the outer diameters of the washers 3|.

In the other spacer-member 2| is a pair of vertically spaced apertures through which the rollers 25, 26 respectively extend and project 66 externally of the casing [0 through hollow bosses 33 which are formed out of the casing end wall l2 and rotatably support the rollers. 0n and secured to 'their outer ends, each of the rollers 25, 26 is provided with a manually operable means, such as a knob 3|, by means of which to turn the rollers conveniently. Adjacent and inwardly of the spacer plate 2|, the rollers 25, 26 are each provided with an annular groove or recess to receive a split washer 35 which abuts the inner surface of the spacer plate 2|, the outer diameter of the washers 35 being greater than the diameter of the apertures in the, spacer plate 2|.

Secured to the spacer plate 20 between the plate and the casing end wall II is a tensioned, yieldable member 36 arranged to urge the rollers 25,, 26 to the right to maintain the washers 35 in abutment with the spacer plate 2|, which plate acts as a stop to limit endwise movement of the rollers. This end thrust on the rollers provides suificient frictional resistance to maintain the rolled map taut at all times, slight manual end pressure on one or the other of the rollers bein required upon rotating either of the knobs 3|.

For example, when it is desired to roll the map 21 onto the upper roller 25, the upper roller 25 is pushed slightly to the left, by means of its knob 34, thus overcoming the tension of member 36 on and freeing the upper roller, but the lower portion of the spring '36 continues to thrust the lower roller 26 endwise with the result that the lower roller resists free rotation. When either roller is manually operated, the other resists rotation whereby the map istightly rolled on the driven roller and the map kept taut between the two rollers. Upon release of the knob of the drive roller the tensioned member 36 is free to act on the released or former drive roller, as well as the driven roller, thus holding the map taut while stationary.

Preferably, the yieldable member 36 is a strip of spring metal, formed, as shown in Fig. 4, having opposite bi-furcated ends, as at 31, to receive In order that the map or chart, as the case may be, can be easily read at night a light source preferably a pair of electric light bulbs 40 are mounted in the casing In between the rollers 25, 26 and back of the map portion stretched between the rollers. In the present instance, the bulbs 40 are supported by a reflector member 4| which may be mounted within the casing in any suitable manner and arranged to reflect the light toward the casing opening.

It will be seen that by rotating one of the rollers in the proper direction that the map or chart may be wound thereon from the other of the rollers and vice versa so that any portion of the map may be brought into position behind the transparent cover "3, as desired. By removing the readily detachable snap-on cover It, a portion of the map may be brought out of the casing through the front opening for any purpose, such as, for the purpose of making notations on the map, and when this is done any suitable support or table may be employed or the cover may be used to back up the map when writing thereon. It will be noted that I have provided a casing which closelyencases the rollers to provide a compact device which may be easily carried about and one which is particularly suit- ,able for motorists. Furthermore, I have provided a hand map case having provisions for maintaining the map taut yet one in which a portion of, or the entire map may be readily and quickly removed from the casing upon removal" tion in detail it is to be understood that the same is to be limited only by the appended claims for many changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

WhatIclaim is:

1. In a device of the character described, a casing having an opening in a wall thereof, a removable wholly transparent flexible closure member closing said opening, a pair of rollers mountedin said casing for a map arranged to roll from one to the other of said rollers and visible in part externally of said casing, and means externally of said casing to rotate either of said rollers.

2. In a device of the character described, a casing having an opening in a wall thereof, a snap on wholly transparent closure member closing said opening, a pair of spaced parallel rollers mounted in said casing for azmap arranged to roll onto one roller from the other and visible externally of said casing, and manually operable means externally of said casing for rotating either of said rollers.

3. In a device of the character described, a pair of spaced parallel rollers on which a map is arranged to be rolled from one roller onto the other roller, a casing closely fitting around said rollers and having an open front wall overlying a portion of the map, a wholly transparent and flexible closure member overlying and closing said opening, said closure member being flexed into place over the opening in the front wall and held under its tension to said casing and means externally of said casing to rotate either of said rollers.

4. In a deviceof *the character described, a casing having an opening in a wall thereof, a pair of spaced parallel rollers mounted in said casing and on which a map isarranged to be rolled from one onto the other of said rollers past said opening, a snap on transparent cover closing said opening and held under tension to said casing, and means externally of said casing to .rotate said rollers.

5. In a device of the character described, a rectangular hollow casing having opposite end walls and a rear wall secured together, a spacer member mounted in said casing adjacent and in spaced relation to one of said end walls, said spacer member having an aperture to receive a roller extending therethrough longitudinally of said casing, and tensioned means secured to said spacer member between said spacer member and said end wall and projecting through said aperture and acting to move the roller longitudinally.

6. In a device of the character described, a hollow rectangular casing having end and rear walls and having an opening, a transparent closure member closing said opening, a pair of spaced plate members in said casing respectively posiers, and a single tensioned lea! spring mounted on the other of said plate members and acting to hold both of said rollers against said other plate member, and means for overcoming the tension on either of said rollers without aiiectins the tension on the other. I

7. In a device of the character described, a

substantially rectangular casing having end walls, a plate member mounted in said casing in spaced relation to one of said casing end walls, a pair of rollers mounted in said casing and extending through said plate member, and a leaf spring secured to said plate member and acting to urge said rollers longitudinally.

8. In a device of the character described, a substantially rectangular casing having end walls, a plate member mounted in said casing in spaced relation to one of said casing and walls, a pair and means securing said spring intermediate the ends thereof said plate member,

MYRON D; McCAULEY. 

